Image Processing Device Block Encoding for Memory Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing number of pixels and grayscale values in liquid crystal display devices for portable telephones requires a significant increase in memory capacity, leading to higher costs and challenges in maintaining the rectangular shape of driver ICs on glass substrates, making it difficult to employ COG mounting technology and necessitating the use of COF technology, while also complicating image rotation processes.
Innovation Solution
An image processing device that encodes and decodes image data on a block-by-block basis, reducing memory capacity requirements by compressing data into blocks, allowing for efficient storage and rotation of images with minimal memory usage, thereby reducing the overall size and cost of the device.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the number of pixels and grayscale values is increased to display high-definition images, then the image quality is improved, but the memory capacity requirement increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments image data into separate components (Y, Cb, Cr in YUV format) and applies different compression strategies to each component. The luminance component (Y) which carries most visual information is retained with higher precision, while the chrominance components (Cb, Cr) are compressed more aggressively, achieving high-definition display quality with reduced memory capacity requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter representation of image data by converting from RGB color space to YUV color space. This parameter transformation allows for differential compression where the Y component uses fewer bits compared to traditional RGB formats while maintaining perceived image quality, thereby reducing memory capacity requirements for high-definition displays.
2Measurement precision
If the memory area of RAM is increased to support high-definition modes, then the image quality is improved, but the area of driver IC increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the driver IC functionality into separate processing stages: encoding section that compresses image data before storage, memory section that stores only compressed data, and decoding section that decompresses data for display. This segmentation allows the driver IC to maintain a compact form factor while supporting high-definition modes through efficient compression rather than brute-force memory expansion.
3Quantity of substance
If the driver IC area is increased to accommodate larger RAM, then the memory capacity is improved, but the rectangular shape of driver IC cannot be maintained
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables the driver IC to dynamically switch between different display modes (QVGA, VGA, WVGA) with varying memory requirements. The encoding and decoding sections adapt their processing based on the selected mode, allowing the driver IC to maintain a fixed rectangular shape while providing flexible memory capacity allocation through software-controlled compression ratios and processing depth.
4Adaptability or versatility
If image data is stored in memory for rotation processing, then the image rotation function is achieved, but the memory capacity requirement increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies compression encoding to image data before rotation processing. The encoding section compresses the original image data, then the compressed data undergoes rotation processing, and finally the rotated compressed data is decoded for display. This preliminary compression action reduces the amount of data that needs to be manipulated during rotation, thereby achieving image rotation functionality with reduced memory capacity requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
An image processing device that supplies image data to a driver section of a display panel includes an encoding section that encodes image data on a block-by-block basis to generate encoded data, the image data corresponding to one scan line of an input image, the image data being divided into a plurality of blocks, a memory that stores the encoded data from the encoding section, and a decoding section that decodes the encoded data from the memory on a block-by-block basis to generate decoded data, the decoded data from the decoding section being supplied to the driver section.